Health agency asks to prepare for a fresh wave of Covid

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the cases will “further increase” as the season progresses, along with other “winter respiratory viruses like flu”…reports Asian Lite News

Amid a significant rise in Covid cases, the UK health agency has asked people in the country to brace for another bout of infections due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus this winter.

The fresh cases are reportedly due to the new variant nicknamed BA.2.86, dubbed as Pirola.  The variant has led to a five-month high spike in hospitalisations (3,366 patients) in England in the week ending October 6 — the highest figure since mid-April.

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the cases will “further increase” as the season progresses, along with other “winter respiratory viruses like flu”.

“This week’s surveillance indicates a slight increase in Covid infection rates. As we enter the colder months and people begin to mix more indoors, we expect to see further increases in Covid,” said Mary Ramsay, UKHSA’s director of public health programmes, in a statement.

“We are monitoring rates closely and reminding people that when you have respiratory symptoms you should avoid mixing with others, especially those more vulnerable,” Ramsay said.

While current hospitalisation due to Covid has increased, they are still far below levels seen during the pandemic.

The latest report by UKHSA showed that an average of 2,257 Covid cases are being recorded each day in England.

Meanwhile, the country has also rolled out vaccine boosters, for the elderly and vulnerable.

The UKHSA said 3.9 million over-65s in England (35.3 per cent) have been jabbed so far. The jab is being offered with the seasonal flu vaccine to maximise vulnerable people protection from both pathogens during the winter season.  Ramsay urged those eligible to take up the jabs.

“We strongly urge parents and all those eligible, for either or both Covid and flu vaccines, to book today with the NHS or via their GP surgery as soon as possible,” she said.

Covid to peak in Hong Kong

Waning vaccine immunity is likely to spur Covid-19 infections in the coming months in Hong Kong, warned a government pandemic adviser.

Hong Kong is seeing a fresh surge in Covid cases due to the XBB variant and the daily hospitalisation rate stands at about 120 cases.

According to David Hui Shu-cheong, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Chinese University, the positive rate of nucleic acid testing was 15 per cent based on Hospital Authority data. Shu-cheong noted there was a high chance of another peak in cases between this month and December, possibly overlapping with a flu outbreak, the report said.

“There are about 100 to 120 cases requiring hospitalisation on a daily basis, with the XBB variant accounting for 98 per cent,” Shu-cheong was quoted as saying. “Given that the previous peak occurred between April and May this year and antibodies (from vaccines) tend to decline after about six months, another one is estimated to occur between this month and the end of the year,” he said.

Moreover, the professor stated that the Covid-19 jabs administered in the city did not specifically target the XBB strain, unlike the third-generation vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna which used the sub-lineage XBB.1.5 as their primary antigen.

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